Week 1 in the NFL is thrilling for so many reasons. For one, it’s just the return of football, the passion of millions of people around the world.
But for a league with the longest offseason, it’s also the culmination of months and months of work from each team’s front office. Every free agent signing, waiver wire claim, draft pick, undrafted free agent signing—it all comes together to paint a picture when the teams finally take the field. I’ve likened it before to Christmas morning. After seeing
these gifts under the tree for months, we finally get to unwrap it and see what we’ve got.
Since early January, we’ve all outlined how we would’ve approached the offseason, criticized and/or praised every move Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes opted to make, and it was all just educated guessing. On Sunday night, we finally had a data point that matters. Was Holmes’ plan the best to set the Lions up for current and future success? We got a taste in their 31-30 victory of the New Orleans Saints.
Some things went as expected, others most certainly did not. So today’s Question of the Day is:
What was the biggest surprise from the Lions’ Week 1 win over the Saints?
My answer: I’m going to stick with the positive here, because—quite frankly—most of the negative things from Sunday’s game were somewhat expected. The secondary struggled, the defense gave up more explosive plays, and the offense looked like a product that was still putting pieces together. Perhaps the biggest negative shock was the rough day from Jameson Williams, particularly after a strong training camp.
But the biggest surprise to me was just how effective the Lions’ running game was. I thought it was fully reasonable and expected for the offensive line to take some time to come together. With Cade Mays’ injury, a left guard battle that never really got off the ground, and a rookie right tackle, everything was set up for some early chemistry issues. And when Ben Bartch, who barely got any first-team work in training camp, had to step in for an injured Christian Mahogany in the first quarter, I only expected more trouble.
Instead, we saw the Lions post a rushing success rate better than they averaged during Ben Johnson’s best years in Detroit:
Through Week 1, the Lions rank eighth in PFF’s team run blocking grade (69.7), fifth in adjusted line yards (5.16), and third in yards before contact (73). Those are all serious indicator that the Lions were moving people in the run game.
I credit the players themselves for creating a cohesive unit through some early adversity. Certainly offensive line coach Hank Fraley deserves some credit. And new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who has been widely praised specifically for his scheme in the run game, clearly put his players in the best position to succeed.
While the overall offensive performance was inconsistent, and there are legitimate questions to have about Petzing’s play calling, I was extremely encouraged and somewhat surprised that Detroit’s running game appears to be back—especially against a Saints team that ranked eighth in run defense DVOA, second in run defense EPA, and ninth in success rate allowed last season.
What was your biggest surprise from Lions vs. Saints? Share your thoughts in the comment section below by joining our community for free!
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